Vegan Buddha Bowl

Method

1. 1Roast chickpeas and sweet potato. Preheat the oven to 210°C. Dry the chickpeas very thoroughly with paper towels — the drier they are, the crispier they get. Toss them with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and spread them on one half of a large lined baking sheet. Toss the sweet potato cubes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the smoked paprika, and cumin on the other half. Season both with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, shaking the chickpeas once halfway through. The sweet potato is done when the edges are caramelized and a knife goes in without resistance. The chickpeas should be dry, slightly shrunken, and shatteringly crisp — if they're still soft, give them 5 more minutes.
2. 2Cook the quinoa. Rinse the quinoa under cold water (reduces bitterness), then cook in 360 ml of vegetable stock rather than water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 13 to 15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let it steam, covered, for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Cooking in stock adds a background savory note that plain quinoa lacks.
3. 3Make the tahini dressing. Whisk the tahini, lemon juice, grated garlic, soy sauce, and 3 to 4 tablespoons of warm water in a small bowl until smooth. Start with 3 tablespoons of water and add more as needed — the dressing should pour easily and run off a spoon in a thin stream, not in thick globs. Taste and adjust: more lemon juice if flat, a pinch of salt if bland, a tiny drop of maple syrup if too bitter. The dressing should be noticeably well-seasoned because it needs to flavor everything it touches.
4. 4Prepare the fresh components. Shred the purple cabbage as finely as you can — thin shreds eat better than chunky pieces. Toss with a tiny squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt, which softens it slightly without cooking it. Slice the avocado just before assembling so it doesn't brown. Keep the spinach or mixed greens whole or roughly torn.
5. 5Assemble the bowls. Divide the cooked quinoa between two bowls as the base. Arrange the roasted sweet potato, crispy chickpeas, shredded cabbage, avocado slices, and spinach in separate sections rather than mixing everything together — the visual organisation is part of what makes a buddha bowl satisfying to eat. Drizzle the tahini dressing generously over everything, then scatter sesame or pumpkin seeds on top. Serve immediately, with extra dressing on the side.